DID DIDLAKE REALLY DO THIS TO DISABLED?
Didlake, Inc., a company which provides “janitorial and maintenance employees” to government worksites in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, has agreed to $1,017,500 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit that which had been filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Apparently, the company is alleged to have wrongfully denied medical leave to those employees who were deaf and hard-of-hearing.
Believing that such conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Didlake, Inc., Case No. 8:23-cv-2618) in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In addition to the cash payment – which will go to all the impacted employees – the company has agreed to modify its employment related policies and practices.
Debra M. Lawrence, a regional attorney in the EEOC’s Philadelphia office, noted that, “This litigation is an important reminder that employers must provide effective accommodations to employees who are deaf and hard of hearing …. Such accommodations must be provided on an ongoing basis to ensure that these employees can participate in meetings and other workplace communications.”
Now, that sure was dastardly, Didlake.
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